Spring assembly for upholstery



March 20, 1934. A. SUEKOFF 1,951,850

SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR UPI-IOLSTERY Filed Jan. 5, 1933 InJenE)? Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 3,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in spring assemblies for upholstery and more particularly to that type of spring assembly which is known as the all-wire type.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a spring assembly of the all-wire type wherein the upholstery springs are maintained in proper relative positions by means of helical connecting elements which are engaged with the end coils of contiguous rows of the upholstery springs for joining said rows and maintaining the springs thereof in over-lapped relation and wherein the upholstery springs have end coils so formed and relatively arranged as to cooperate with the helicals to prevent rotation of the springs about their own axes under the influence of compression and expansion thereof in use.

A further and more essential object of the invention is to provide upholstery springs having normally spiral end coils formed as aforesaid wherein the minimum amount of wire is used and wherein there is no distortion of the normal spiral convolutions of the end coils of the springs for accomplishing the desired results above pointed out.

The foregoing objects of the invention will be understood fully and appreciated from the following specification.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan View of a spring assembly constructed in accordance with the invention. I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the upholstery springs of the assembly showing fragments of helicals engaged with the end coils thereof.

In the manufacture of spring assemblies of the all-wire type, it is customary to employ tied or knotted upholstery springs wherein the terminals of the end coils are bent inwardly and are twisted about the next contiguous coils in a well known manner. Generally, these extremities of the end coils extend inwardly in a more or less gradual curve and one of the features of the present invention resides in varying this normal form of contour of the extremities of the end coils of the springs, by bending said extremities sharply inwardly so that said extremities extend inwardly at an angle as nearly approximate to an angle of ninety degrees to the contiguous spiral portion of the end coil as the subsequent tying or knotting operation will permit.

1933, Serial No. 649,768

Thus, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 the end or terminal coil 1 at the top of each of the springs therein shown, has its extremity 2 bent inwardly at an angle of approximately one hundred twenty degrees to the spiral portion of said end coil and has its terminal portion 3 coiled about the next contiguous coil of the spring. In this way a shoulder is formed at a point 4 which will engage a convolution of the helical 5 for limiting the rotation of the end coil of the spring about its own axis relatively to said helical 5.

The lower coil 6 of each of the springs is similarly provided with a terminal portion 7 which also extends sharply inwardly, as in the case of the coil 1 and has its terminal end coiled 1 about the next adjacent or contiguous convolution of the spring as shown at 8.

Another essential feature of each spring of the assembly resides in having the terminal portion 2 and 7 respectively, of the end coils of each spring disposed at the same side of the spring, but offset from each other laterally, a short distance, so that each of said terminals 2 and '7 respectively, is disposed upon opposite sides of a vertical plane of the axis of the spring which extends at right angles to the axes of the helical 5.

The spacing of the terminal portion 2 from the terminal portion '7, as last above described, may be said to be a distance substantially equal in length to the chord of the diametrically opposite portion of the end coil which is disposed within the helical 5, without effecting distortion of said helical.

The end coils of upholstery springs are of normal spiral contour to the point at which the bend or shoulder l of each coil is formed, and, in the instant case, no distortion of the end coils of the upholstery springs is effected for the purpose of providing shoulders which will cooperate with the helical 5 to prevent rotation of the springs about their own axes. Thus, in the present structure, a very appreciable saving in wire is effected and, furthermore, the necessary secondary operations of distorting the end coils of the upholstery springs for the purpose of providing shoulders is eliminated, with a consequent saving in labor as well as material.

In assembling the upholstery springs of the structure, the springs are arranged so that all of the inwardly extending terminal knotted portions are disposed, for example, at the right hand side of each of the several rows of springs comprised in the completed assembly, so that the left hand side of each terminal coil of each spring overlaps the right hand portions of the adjacent springs.

The helicals 5 are then threaded about the overlapped portions of the terminal coils in the usual and well known manner, to join one row of springs with the next adjacent row thereof, the over-lap being such as to cause said over-lapped portions to be fairly firmly engaged by the coils of the helical 5 and retained by the latter in over-lapped relation.

In assembling the springs, those of each row may be spaced apart as shown in Fig. l as desired, it being obvious that the helicals will maintain said springs yieldingly in such spaced relation.

While a series of parallel helicals 5 will serve to hold all of the springs of the assembly in spaced relation to each other, it is preferable to employ one cross helical 9 at each end of the assembly for further stiffening purposes and, in some instances, the helicals 9 may be arranged to engage the transverse pair of rows of springs constituting the extreme end portions of the assembly, so that the peripheral edge portions of the assembly may be stiffened for greater carrying power per square inch than the middle portion of the assembly.

It will be noted, by reference to Fig. 1, that in the event that any one or" the springs of this structure should rotate about its own axis in either direction, such rotation will be prevented either by contact of the inner surface of one of the terminal portions 2 or 7, or by an outer surface portion of one of the said terminals, or both thereof, with convolutions of the helicals 5 so that rotation of said springs about their own axes is limited to a negligible degree.

The over-lap of the end coils of the springs within the helicals is also such as will prevent a relative lateral movement of the springs out of over-lapping relation to each other, as is common in the art, for well known reasons.

I claim as my invention:

1. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of rows of upholstery springs, each having spiral end coils, each of the said coils equipped with a substantially straight inwardly extendingterminal portion secured to the adjacent portion of another coil of the spring, said straight portions of both end coils of each spring being disposed at the same side of said spring, the springs of one row having the end coils overlapped contiguously to said straight portions by the portions of the end coils at the next adjacent row diametrically opposed to the said straight portions and 'helicals embracing said overlapped portions of springs of adjacent rows and engaging said straight portions of the springs of one row for preventing rotation of said springs about their own axes.

2. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of rows of knotted upholstery springs each having normal spiral end coils connected at their ends with the knots of said springs by sharply inwardly extending terminals affording shoulders, the springs of one row being overlapped by the springs of a contiguous row adjacent to the said terminals and the overlapping portions of the last mentioned springs being diametrically opposite the terminals thereof, and helicals joining the springs of one row with those of a contiguous row and embracing the overlapped portions of said springs for holding the same in lapped relation, said terminals of the springs cooperating with said helicals for preventing rotation of the springs about their own axes.

3. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of rows of knotted upholstery springs each having normal spiral end coils connected at their ends with the knots of said springs by sharply inwardly extending terminals, aiiording shoulders, the said terminals of the opposite end coils of each spring being disposed on the same side of said spring, the springs of one row being overlapped at each end by the springs of a contiguous row, and the overlapping portions of the last mentioned springs being diametrically opposite the terminals thereof, and helicals joining the springs of one row with those of a contiguous row and embracing the overlapped portions of said springs for holding the same in lapped relation, said terminals of the springs cooperating with said helicals for preventing rotation of the springs about their own axes.

4. In a spring assembly, the combination with a series of helicals extending parallel with each other and spaced from each other, of a plurality of rows of springs arranged with the end coils of the springs of one row overlapping the end coils of the springs of the next adjacent row within a helical, each spring of each row having normal spiral end coils and being knotted, the portions oithe end coils extending from the terminal of each spiral portion of an end coil to the knot of said spring being substantially straight and extending sharply inwardly from said spiral portions of said coils and presenting shoulders cooperating with the helicals for preventing rotation of said springs about their own axes, all of the said straight portions of the springs of each row being disposed for engagement with a pair of helicals disposed in a plane parallel with the axes of all of the springs of said row.

5. In a spring assembly, the combination with a series of helicals extending parallel with each other and spaced from each other, of a plurality of rows of springs arranged with the end coils of the springs of one row overlapping the end coils of the springs of the next adjacent row within a helical, each spring of each row having normal spiral end coils and being knotted, the portions of the end coils extending from the terminal of each spiral portion of an end coil to the knot of said spring being substantially straight and extending sharply inwardly from said spiral portions of said coils and presenting shoulders cooperating with the helicals for preventing rotation of said springs about their own axes, all of the said straight portions of the springs of each row being disposed for engagement with a pair of helicals disposed in a plane parallel with the axes of all of the springs of said row, and the portions of the end coils of the next contiguous row of springs engaged in said helicals being those portions which are diametrically opposed to the straight portions of the last mentioned row.

LOUIS A. SUEKOFF. 

